Big Kid

Neil-Te (while practicing piano): My teacher says he only teaches scales to big kids.
Me (puzzled): Well, aren't you playing the C scale right now?
Neil-Te: Yes, I said that he only teaches them to big kids.

Guess we're all clear on that now. :-)

Creepy Crawlies

There are about a million posts to catch up on; but since I am currently disgusted to see snow falling from the sky, I figured I'd catch up on this post from last week. (Notice the shorts and sunshine?!)Here is the first snake who was unfortunate enough to be basking on a day that the boys were out for a walk. As you can see, KiKi wasn't so sure about handling a snake; but CoCo is just feeling like the world is back to what it should be - a critter-catching place. This little snake has a new home under our shed in hopes that he will keep down the mouse population in the woodpile. I voted for throwing it into the camper to eat the mice in there, but...

Two Years in America!

Today, SS has officially been in America and a part of our family for two years.

We love you and thank God for you, SS!

College Education

So...today I was educated in a meeting with SS' guidance counselor. Some things were old information, and some things were new. This is what I learned. SS needs to take a TESLOF and an ACT and fill out FAFSAs claiming EOP status in preparation for college. Hmmm... Do you feel educated too?

KiKi Comments

Sometimes kids seem to go through spurts where they just come up with some pretty random, funny stuff. KiKi has been doing that quite a lot this week. Thought I'd jot a few down before I forget them. The pictures have nothing to do with his comments; I just like them.

This is KiKi's "bedhead."

KiKi thinks he is beating SS in this wrestling picture.

The other day, KiKi was practicing writing his name on a Magna Doodle. He was very excited with his mastery and decided to show off for Daddy. He erased the Magna Doodle, wrote his first letter successfully, then wrote his second letter equally well. With mounting enthusiasm, he formed his third letter. Suddenly, he sat back, looked at it, and said, "Oops! That's upsiedown!"

Last night, we had lasagna for dinner. Though hubby and I really like it, the kids just really don't. KiKi likes to be the first one to pray before dinner. Last night was no exception. This was his prayer. "Dear God, Thank you for this day. Please help sick and hurt to get better. Please help us to like this food. Amen."

Tonight, KiKi and I were sitting at the table eating some ice cream. He was chatting away about all kinds of things, when he abruptly stated, "I can't talk anymore. I need to eat." A few moments later, he began chatting again, giving me the full details of some part of Batman's existence. Looking at his melting ice cream, he exclaimed, "I thought I said, 'NO TALKING!'"

Hope he brought a chuckle to your day too!

Thumbsucker No More!

Today, we officially celebrated the end of an era. Neil-Te decided that he would no longer suck his thumb a few weeks ago. So, he sadly put his Silkie on top of his dresser so that Silkie wouldn't make him suck his thumb while he was sleeping. I watched him do it with sadness and amazement that he had come to this decision on his own. Wanting to encourage him, I promised him a pack of gum if he could avoid thumb-sucking for an extended period of time. His gum reward, his sucking thumb, and his beloved Silkie.

I'm not sure if I really want to celebrate or cry. Maybe both.

The Weaker Sex

Hubby got sick almost two weeks ago, and the cold has been making its way through the men in the family. So far, SS and I have been spared. We're claiming that it is just proof of our womanly superiority. (Yes, we will get A LOT of grief if we end up getting sick, but we need to take advantage of opportunities like these in our male-dominated household.)
Here's what the little two looked like today. The big guys look alright, but they are sniffling and coughing. That doesn't stop the Nerf wars, though!
If you click on KiKi's picture, you can see all of the burst blood vessels around his eyes. We're calling them "crying freckles."

Neil-Te is struggling with headaches during this cold. Yes, nothing terribly new for him; but he woke up with one and started turning green again a little after lunch time. The headache won by 2:30, and here he is - crashed on our bed. When we were finally able to wake him, we realized that he had turned the electric blanket on, so he was a sweaty mess! lol